Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Scrub the potato, and pierce the skin several times with a knife or fork. Rub the skin with olive oil, then with salt.

Place the potato in the preheated oven, and bake for 90 minutes, or until slightly soft and golden brown. Slice the potato down the center, and serve with butter and black pepper. Sprinkle shredded Cheddar cheese over the top, if desired.

Footnotes

Variation

For a treat, try slicing the very top of the potato off rather than slicing it in two, forming a 'lid'. Scoop out the fluffy contents of the potato, keeping the skin intact. Mix the potato in a bowl with butter, grated cheese and black pepper, then spoon the mixture back into the skin. Replace the lid and serve.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 27, 2006

These potatoes were yummy! Here's what I did... I scrubbed three potatoes, poked holes, and microwaved them for 5 minutes to get them started and to save time in the oven. I put the olive oil in a baggie and rolled them around in it (careful, they were hot!), then rolled them in some kosher salt on a plate. I used my finger to evenly distribute the salt so it wasn't too clumpy. Then I baked the potatoes at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes - no foil, just right on the rack. I did put a cookie sheet underneath and I'm glad I did because it caught a bunch of oil & salt the dripped off. When they were done, we loaded them up with butter, sour cream, and a little pepper (my hubby also added bacon bits). They were really good! My husband even ate the skin and he never eats the skin from baked potatoes. I'll definitely make these again!

Most Helpful Critical Review

I think the oven temperature needs to be a little higher or the potatoes should be much smaller. I used what I considered to be a medium potato but it was still a little firmer than I would have preferred. It was still tasty though. I found it to be easier to rub the potato with oil by placing it in a bag, pouring the oil in, and rubbing through the bag. No greasy fingers that way!

Love baking potatoes this way. I usually have large potatoes so I have to bake them a long time. I usually have the oven on 350 or 400 degrees depending on how much time I have for them to bake. Baking them longer (2.5 hours or so) at 300 is great, but I usual don't have that kind of time. I coat these with the oil, and then generously sprinkle crushed sea salt and then sprinkle garlic powder on them. Of course, we love garlic, so this is yummy to us. Our family then top these a variety of ways. Oh, I put these directly on the rack in the oven and have a drip pan on the next rack down to catch anything. This works well for me. These are so delicious!

I make baked potatoes like this all the time. They're a huge hit. I'd go for closer to 375 Farenheit, for about an hour, for a large baking potato, and I second the use of kosher salt. Also, for neat presentation, prick the potato in a line lengthwise across the top of the potato with a fork after it's done, and smack the two ends together. The potato will pop open along this line, revealing its fluffy-snow insides! Top with cheese, sour cream, a little butter, chives, sauteed mushrooms and onions, salsa, or whatever tickles your fancy.

For those who don't want to use the oven, these bake in the microwave beautifully. After scrubbing the skin clean, I pierce the potatoe, generously rub olive oil or canolla oil and sprinkle kosher salt and/or garlic powder all over the potatoes before placing them into the microwave on a paper towel. Then I cover them with a dry paper towel and on top of that I place a couple of wet paper towels. Bake on high for 10 to 20 minutes depending on size and number of potatoes.
Remove top paper towels, sprinkle more salt/garlic if desired,turn potatoes over and cook another 5 to 10 minutes as needed. The skins are always delicious, tender and crispy. I often make twice-baked or stuffed potatoes this way, with a variety of ingredients in the "stuffing".

Simply delicious!! Poking holes in the potatoes, adding the olive oil over the skin, and sprinkling some kosher salt on top is definitely the way I'm going to make all our baked potatoes from now on (with all our typical add-ins, not what the recipe calls for)! I always ate the skins before, but not because I thought they tasted good or anything. However, the skins are worth eating with this recipe!! I did change the temperature of the oven to anywhere between 350 to 400 degrees (depending if I'm making something else or what not) and they are always done in about 60 minutes. Definitely worth trying, as I doubt you will be disappointed!! :)

I usually microwave my potatoes just to save time, but in truth, these are so much better. I did cheat because I used huge potatoes and microwaved for about 10 minutes then cooked in the oven. They came out perfect. Also, I used table salt, but you really need to go with a course salt like Kosher salt. Topped with Garlic Butter (also off this site) and sour cream.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.